Edric took a sip of tea and worked through the reports.
*Even a president doesn't have this much paperwork.* He thought, slowly turning through the pages.
After a while he set one down.
"Ena."
"Yes."
"Call the old butler in here."
"Why?" She said, looking at him.
"Just call him."
Ena rolled her eyes slightly and walked out.
*What is with her attitude.*
Any servant talking back to their master would have been dealt with swiftly in this world. But for some reason Edric and Ena had always been like this — small arguments, her getting away with every single one of them. How that arrangement had come to exist he had no idea.
A knock at the door.
"Young Master. You called for me." Garric hurried in.
Edric rose slowly from his chair, his gaze cold.
"Butler Garric."
"Garric." Edric said quietly. "Have I ever told you the story of the wolf and the sheep."
Garric's breath caught. "I..I don't understand what you"
"Shh."
Edric stepped away from the desk and moved to stand directly in front of him.
"The wolf once tried to be benevolent toward the sheep. It gave the sheep freedom — to roam, to graze, to move through its territory without harm." He paused. "The wolf is benevolent, is it not."
Garric had no idea what any of this meant. He nodded anyway. "Yes. Yes, of course."
*He must think I've lost my mind. I think I've lost my mind. I don't even know what I'm saying.*
"The wolf gave it a limit though. One condition. Do not cross into the green land beyond the hill. And the sheep agreed, happily."
In the corner of the room Ena stood still. She had been trying to follow the logic since the beginning and had arrived at only one conclusion.
*The Young Master has gone completely insane.*
"But one day," Edric continued, his voice dropping lower, "the sheep crossed anyway. Ignored every warning."
He let the silence sit for a moment.
"What it found was death. More wolves. And in an instant it was torn apart."
Garric's breath caught.
*He knows. He knows. He's going to kill me.*
Garric couldn't hold it any longer. His head hit the floor hard.
"Young Master please forgive me." His voice cracked against the ground. "I have wronged the Voss family and the people. Please. Please have mercy."
Edric's voice came out low and dangerous.
"What exactly is your offence, Garric."
*He knows and still wants me to say it.* Garric's mind raced. *This is a test. If I answer wrongly I lose my head.*
"The funding, Young Master." He pressed his forehead harder into the floor. "I had no choice. The estate funds — it was the only thing I could use to calm them down."
He swallowed hard.
"Three months ago"
"Before you arrived, Young Master. The Barrack Troop a dangerous gang of mercenaries came to Rova. They arrived with promises to protect the people from the magical beasts and we paid them in compensation."
He hesitated.
"Don't stop now, Garric." Edric said, settling back into his chair.
"Yes." Garric's voice dropped. "They started extorting the commoners. Some were killed in the process."
Tears fell quietly onto the floor beneath him.
"Everything I did, Young Master. It was for the protection of the people of Rova."
Silence stretched through the study.
Honestly Edric hadn't suspected Garric of anything. He couldn't make sense of half those reports to begin with. But why waste time reading when there was a faster way to get the answers you needed.
*The old man has my respect. He's one of the few who hasn't given up on Rova completely.*
"Get up, Garric." Edric said, folding his hands.
"You are not in suspicion. I was sent here for a mission. Do you know what that mission is."
Garric looked up slowly.
"To make Rova great again."
Edric's voice rang through the study, steady and certain.
"And that I will. I swear it on my honour."
Something stirred in the old butler's chest. A warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
"To change this godforsaken land I need people around me. People I can trust."
Edric's gaze settled on him.
"Will you be one of those people, Garric."
Ena, whose expression rarely moved, let out a small laugh.
Edric turned toward her. Catching herself she lowered her head slightly.
"Forgive me, Young Master."
He held her gaze for a moment then turned back to Garric.
"Will you take my hand and help me achieve this mission."
Garric was quiet for a while. Many had come before with the same words. The same promises. He had watched every one of them leave Rova exactly as they found it.
"How can I be sure these aren't false promises." He spoke with resolve.
"Because only I can achieve this. For I am the chosen one."
The words left his mouth and Edric felt it immediately. The cringe crawled up his spine. That was genuinely terrible. But the body he occupied carried something he hadn't earned a presence that commanded the room without trying. The posture, the expression, the way Edric Voss simply stood. It was all too noble for the words to land badly.
Somehow it worked.
Garric reached up and took his hand.
"I swear on my life, Young Master. This humble servant will see your goal accomplished."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[ QUEST UPDATE ]
You moved the heart of the Old Butler.
Mission: Change the People's Opinion of You
Completion Rate: 1 / 100
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The translucent screen appeared and disappeared just as quickly.
Edric picked up his coat and tapped Garric on the shoulder. "Let's go, protector of Rova." He said, moving toward the door. Ena followed behind.
The carriage stopped in front of a brothel.
Garric opened the door slowly.
Edric walked in. The entire room stopped. Every gaze turned toward him.
*[ Hey. How exactly is this going to help the mission. ]*
*What do you know.* Edric replied inwardly.
*This is a classic hero villain scene right here.*
"When a stray wanders into another man's den, it should at least have the decency to bow its head first."
Edric's voice echoed through the brothel.
A tall, broad shouldered man stood up from his seat, a large axe resting in his grip. His gaze was menacing as he walked forward, stopping directly in front of Edric and looking down at him.
"Looks like we have a lost little cat." Laughter erupted around the room. "Get out before you hurt yourself, kitten."
Edric moved.
A single flash of motion. A loud thud hit the ground.
The broad shouldered man stood motionless. His head was no longer attached to his body. Blood poured from the severed neck like a fountain, soaking into the floorboards. His head rolled slowly to a stop near the far wall.
The laughter died.
Screams replaced it.
Edric reached into his coat, produced a fresh pair of gloves, removed the bloodied ones and pulled the new ones on with quiet precision.
"The Barrack Troop." He said, looking around the room slowly.
"Young Master Edric." A voice came from the second floor. Calm. Unbothered. "What an honour to have someone from the Voss family visit us."